Changes
by asouldreams
Summary: Jean-Luc 'resigns' from Starfleet and in the process is presumed dead; the crew deals with the after effects of Picard's death, Beverly trying to move on with her life and JLP trying to finish his mission to return to his life and the woman he loves. P/C
1. Chapter 1

**Changes**

**_A/N: This is a Picard/Crusher story that I penned 13 years ago and has been collecting cyber dust for the past decade as it lay unfinished and dormant. I decided to go ahead and post this, hoping that someone will enjoy. I have done some cursory updates regarding grammar and verbiage across the story, and most importantly am in the process of adding an ending. So, take heart, there will be an ending to this wild adventure of a ride. As always, Paramount owns Star Trek and its characters, I'm just borrowing them for a minute adventure._  
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Prologue_

The stars that drift by the hull of the Enterprise seem untouched by the passage of time. They sit and listen to the wondrous universe around them, and then try and relay the message to others. They speak of times long forgotten and of the wondrous things yet to come. They sing loud enough for everyone, but no one hears their beautiful songs. For them each day comes and goes as though it was non-existent. They have nothing to worry about, and hardly watch what happens at each instant in the vast universe. Occasionally, however, something important is about to unfold, and they try to pull a little closer to the event about to transpire. The stars have waited since the dawn of time for this incident to occur. Now that the time has come, they hope things will come out better than it was foretold. Otherwise, many of the star wanderers will cease to glide across the cosmos. Then the stars, themselves, would be enslaved by a savage, brutal race. Many wouldn't see their freedom for hundreds or even thousands of years.

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Chapter 1_

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Commander Riker took a deep breathe and let it out slowly. _Today was going to be a long day,_ he thought sourly. _Why couldn't Admiral Taylor have waited one more day to call a meeting with Captain Picard? Then I wouldn't have to oversee the final stages of this refitting. Instead, I would still be on my shore leave, basking in the warm sun and letting the cool breeze bring the scent of mid-summer flowers and the salty ocean._

A smile touched the edge of his lips, _I joined Starfleet to visit new and enchanting places not to be a permanent fixture on a planet. Oh-well, he thought, I am allowed to dream of the warm breeze along with..._

"Commander Riker," a voice pulled him out of his drifting reflections. He looked over to see Geordi rapidly heading in his direction.

"Is something wrong, Geordi?"

The chief engineer's face twisted a little, "Yeah, we've got a problem with the warp reactors."

Riker didn't like the sound of what he hearing. "Are they going to be on line at sixteen hundred hours as scheduled?"

LaForge knew the first officer wasn't going to like his answer. "No, I'm afraid the earliest we could possibly have them on line is by twenty-one hundred hours."

_Great, the Captain is not going to be happy at all._ "Try to have them on line by nineteen hundred hours, Geordi. Those medical supplies are already two days late, and I don't want to be responsible for them being any later. I'd like Starfleet to take the heat on this one."

"I have three teams working on the reactors now. There isn't much else I can do, except hope that nothing else goes wrong."

Riker nodded in agreement, "I'll be hoping on my end, just make sure those reactors go back on line."

"It's a deal."

Riker turned and headed towards the turbolift. _I hope Beverly is in a cheerful mood, so when I tell her the bad news._ Riker's thought ended as the turbolift doors opened and Beverly stepped out.

"Will, can I see you for a moment?" Her voice was quiet, while her words were precise and sharp.

Commander Riker tried to keep his smile on his face, "Sure." They both headed towards the ready room. _So much for cheerful,_ Will thought as the door slide open. This is one instance when he desperately wished Captain Picard was here. Riker disliked having one of his friends being upset over something he had no control over.

"Will, in order for this medicine to work effectively, we must be in orbit around Kreiss within the next twelve hours."

"I know, but Geordi said that it would be at least thirteen hours before the reactors would be back on line."

Beverly flopped down in one of the chairs, and let out a sigh. "Is there another ship within the area that could take our shipment to Kreiss?"

"The Excelsior is only an hour away, but I haven't been able to get through to Starfleet Command for the okay."

"What about Captain Picard? Can you reach him? He's talking to Admiral Taylor, and Taylor can give the authorization." Her voice holding a tendril of hope.

Riker paused as he thought through her idea. It held real merit, Admiral Taylor could authorize the transfer, and then Geordi wouldn't have to kill himself trying to get the reactors on time. His eyes squinted involuntarily, "We'll see." Strictly out of habit, Riker looked up to the ceiling as he spoke, "Computer, please, patch me into Admiral Taylor."

"Do you think this will work?" Beverly looked tired, and for her sake he hoped it did. She needed some time off, but he doubted that she would take any until an official shore leave. Riker would talk with the Captain, and see if Picard could give her the shore leave that was long overdue.

The screen on the captain's desk lit up to reveal the handsomely aging man, Admiral Taylor. "What is the problem Commander Riker?" From the tenor in his voice, Riker knew that Taylor didn't want to be bothered.

"Admiral Taylor, we have a shipment of medical supplies that needs to be delivered to Kreiss within the next eleven hours. We are incapable of doing so, due to a problem with the warp reactors. We had to take them off line, and they will not be prepared in time to deliver the medical supplies."

"And you would like to know if the Excelsior could deliver the shipment in time. Yes, I'll authorize it."

"Thank you sir."

"Anything else?"

"No, sir."

"Taylor out." Admiral Brad Taylor picked up his glass of amber liquid that had been set on his desk when speaking with Commander Riker. He turned back to his long time friend, Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Picard had an outstanding career in Starfleet, and Taylor was happy for his friend. What he wasn't feeling to keen about was the upcoming news that he had to depart upon Jean-Luc.

"So," Jean-Luc cut into Taylor's thoughts, "Why have I been summoned here?"

"You always do cut straight to the point, don't you?" Taylor smiled, but Picard noticed that it was far from the man's eyes. Picard had a strange feeling that he wasn't going to like the Enterprise's new mission.

Taylor stood up and began to pace away from Picard, "The Enterprise is going to Oniaka system for diplomatic purposes. There is war that is about to break out between Oniaka III and Regeav IV, they are asking for mediation to try and prevent the war." Taylor stopped suddenly and spun around. His face was set and jaw locked, "You, on the other hand, are being relieved of duty as soon as you brief Riker on the Enterprise's next mission."

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A/N: Will try to post updates weekly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Six people were sitting at the circular table. In the center of the table was a mountain of chips, poker chips. There were only two individuals still holding there cards. Geordi LaForge, Deanna Troi, Worf, and Will Riker sat silently as their two friends, Data and Beverly Crusher, stared at each other.

"Doctor, I see your 100 and raise you," Data's hand grabbed a neatly stacked pile of chips, "200." He tossed his chips into the pile.

Beverly didn't even have to look at her hand, "I see your 200," she smiled, "and call." She laid her cards down on the table to reveal three kings and two jacks. Data's cards held nothing but a pair of 3's.

Beverly pulled all the chips toward her, "I am glad you talked me into coming tonight Deanna."

"I am not." Data smiled, so did everyone else. It was Data's deal, and he was already shuffling the cards hoping the next hand would be far better than the last one.

"Geordi, what was the cause of the reactor malfunctioning?" Will was thankful that LaForge had gotten the warp reactors on line two hours ahead of schedule.

"It was caused by a faulty coil that ruptured. We were lucky that it happened at a Starbase, otherwise the repairs would have taken days."

Data finished dealing, and almost simultaneously everyone picked up their hand. "I wonder if the captain is going to join us this evening?" Riker asked while sorting his hand.

"Why, so we can all take a beating?" Worf's response drew chuckles, but they all knew it was true. Picard had proven that he was a good poker player ten times over. Everyone had thought Riker was good at bluffing until Picard had started to play on a regular basis.

"No, but he should be back by now." Beverly chimed in.

"Yes, he should be." Riker agreed and several others nodded in agreement. "Fourteen hours is a long time for a mission briefing."

As if on cue, "Senior staff," Picard's voice echoed throughout the room on the ship's intercom speakers, "please report to the conference room."

Glances were exchanged as they all stood up, "Well I guess we are going to find out what our next mission is." LaForge said with a chuckle, "I just wish he could have waited ten more minutes." He dropped his cards on the table to reveal a flush in spades.

Riker patted Geordi on the back, "With those cards, I'd wish for at least an hour."

"No," Worf said as they exited Riker's quarters, "He would have run out of luck."

"Luck has nothing to do with it, Worf." Data intervened, "It is merely how the cards happened to..."

Deanna interrupted, "Data, Worf just meant that..." She felt her voice trail off, but she was more concerned about someone who...needed her help. Deanna looked around as she stepped into the turbolift.

"Deanna, are you alright?" Beverly asked concerned.

"Yes, I just felt someone's mind cry out, and then as suddenly as the mind had cried out, it became silent again."

Beverly didn't doubt Deanna, especially after the incident on Kesprit when Jean-Luc and her had been telepathically connected, but Troi did appear to still be bothered by whatever she had felt.

They stepped into the conference room, and Jean-Luc stood at the far end of the room staring into the vastness space. He turned to face them as everyone took their seats. He took a few steps toward the table, but he stopped behind his chair making no effort to pull it out or even appear to want to sit down. Instead, he just stood for a moment with a blank expressionless face. Beverly didn't know what was going on in his mind, but whatever it was, she knew it bothered him deeply. She had been his friend far too long not to notice, she could only hope it was the prospect of what the next mission entailed.

"The Enterprise is to head toward the Oniaka system," Beverly did not like the sound of how Jean-Luc had started the sentence. His voice was cold, distant. She glanced briefly at Trio, and she seemed puzzled too. "for meditations between Oniaka III and Regeav IV." Beverly forced herself to smile; maybe she was just too paranoid. "There is a volatile situation that is getting anything but better. If they would go to war, the repercussions would be felt for the next several generations in the Federation. They lie on the border of Romulan space and uncharted space." Picard stopped momentarily and Beverly noticed that his jaw had clenched, but he quickly began speaking again. "Commander Riker, you will handle the negotiations between the warring factions."

"But sir." Will quickly interrupted. "You are by far the better diplomat and you..."

"Starfleet put you in charge of the negotiations, Will." The words were terse as he stopped and gazed out of the large windows where the stars were dots of light. They didn't streak by in their multi-colored ribbons, but they remained plain spots. He turned his attention back to his senior staff, "The reason you are in charge of the negotiations is the same reason that you are in command of the Enterprise. I have resigned. You will be promoted to a captain within the hour, and the command codes have already been cleared for you, Mr. Riker. Good luck, to all of you."

Beverly watched Jean-Luc leave in shock. Beverly's eyes followed Jean-Luc out the door, until the doors closed on his back. No one whispered a word for several minutes. Beverly couldn't believe that he'd quit Starfleet. Jean-Luc had left without saying two words in advance notice to his senior staff. Nor had he said anything to her, not that he would. She stopped that thought, Jean-Luc would tell her. They had become too close of friends.

Geordi was the first to break the unearthly silence, "I can't believe it?"

Everybody began to chime in with relatively the same thoughts. "What made him resign?" Riker first immediately followed by Worf, "I cannot believe that he just resigned."

Riker turned and faced all of them hen he asked, "He didn't say anything in advance to any of you, did he?"

Beverly lifted her gaze and spoke for the first time, "No," Her voice was soft and barely audible. "I was never told anything."

Silent nods of ascent rounded the table. No one seemed to be able to say anything else. Beverly didn't know what was going on, but she WANTED to find out. Something was wrong! She was sure of it! There was no better way to find out than to ask, and there was only one person who would know the answer.

She immediately stood. One thing was for certain; if he didn't say anything to anyone, chances were he wasn't about to explain his actions to anyone either. For explaining meant time, and time to Jean-Luc seemed of the essence. Beverly was certain that Jean-Luc didn't want to wait longer than necessary.

Beverly's steps were swift, and they quickly carried her out of the conference room. She headed down the all to familiar halls of the Enterprise. She knew the quickest way to Picard's quarters, and then she came to a dead halt. He probably wouldn't be in his quarters. "Computer," She glanced at the ceiling, "Please give the location of Jean-Luc Picard."

A musical voice responded, "Jean-Luc Picard is in transporter room two."

_Damn!_ Beverly cursed under her breath. She bolted toward the transporter room, and she stepped through the doors slightly winded. Beverly immediately glanced around the chamber, until she found whom she was looking for. Picard had looked up to see who had entered; shock registering on his usually placid face when he saw who it was.

Jean-Luc gazed into Beverly's eyes, and she met his penetrating gaze with her own. And for an instant nothing seemed to exist, except the other. Neither wanted to move, they didn't want to break the spell, but the situation demanded it.

"Why did you resign?" Beverly's breathing had returned to normal, but she still felt slightly out of breath.

He didn't answer her immediately. He stood on the platform, and simply appeared as if he too was wondering why he had just resigned. "I have often pondered leaving Starfleet, but it never seemed like the right thing to do. After talking with Admiral Taylor, I believe that I am no longer the right person for this position nor do I belong in Starfleet any longer. I am going to take up archeology..." Jean-Luc appeared to have more to say, but he stopped speaking. Beverly did not know what to tell him, but she was positive that he was resigning for some other reason...but what? He was lying!

She had to stall. "Why didn't you tell any of us?"

Impatience crept onto his face, "Do I have to explain every action? No. I'd love to talk more, but to be frank, I must go." Beverly felt a pain beginning to slash into her heart.

"Energize."

Beverly almost countermanded the order, but she knew she could not keep him here. This whole situation felt reversed from the time when she had met Ronan on Caldos, when her grandmother died. As Picard's body began to dissolve, his piercing hazel eyes met her crystal blue ones. It was almost as if he was trying to tell her something without speaking a word. His body totally dissolved, and only emptiness existed within the room and her heart.

"Dr. Crusher, please report to sickbay." Dr. Selar's voice was hurried as she finished, "We have a medical emergency."

For a brief second, Beverly considered telling Selar to handle it herself because she desperately wanted to find Jean-Luc. "I'm on my way."

Beverly left for sickbay immediately with more on her mind than she wished as she tried to prepare herself for the emergency.

xoxo

_A/N: Sorry - took a bit longer than I had thought it would to reformat it and post it. Have the next bit reformatted and will be up within a few days. THANKS for all the lovely notes._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Admiral Taylor sat and fidgeted while he waited in the shadows of the long corridor. The darkness that surrounded his body, felt like it had invaded his soul too.

Soft footsteps could be heard in the distance, and Taylor immediately knew who it was. As the man turned around the corner, Taylor couldn't help but smile at his friend. He was dressed in all black civilian clothes that accentuated his lean body. Damn, Taylor thought, he's older than me and I'm the one who looks worse.

"How did it go?"

Jean-Luc narrowed his eyes, "I can't believe that I had to resign."

"There was no other choice."

"Yes, but to give them no explanation…"

Taylor cut in hoping to stave off another argument, "If you'd have given your staff an explanation, then others would find out."

"They can all be trusted, and you know that as well as I."

"Jean-Luc, we've already been over this. And we don't have the time to squabble over it now." He gazed into Picard's hazel eyes and could see a flash of anger, "Now then, the computer to ship is voice activated, and it has been modified by two of our best engineers in Starfleet. It isn't a Starfleet vessel though, and it has no identifiable markings."

"What about warp capabilities?" Picard couldn't bring himself to ask about the weapon systems, he hoped he wouldn't need them.

"Warp speed capabilities are that of 9.8 and it could be pushed to move a little faster. The weapons systems are close to an ambassadorial class vessel."

Picard's eyes registered his surprise. "Isn't that a little..."

"Overpowered." Taylor smiled as he finished Jean-Luc's statement. Brad Taylor just shrugged. "I had a small say while refitting the vessel. So, with the backing of the Fleet Admirals, I had it refit the way I thought best. When I heard who was being considered for the mission, I made an extra effort to make sure the ship was sturdy because I don't want to lose another good friend. God knows that enough of them has died."

"Thank you."

"Just make sure you take care of yourself because you are on your own. Their will be no reconnaissance mission if you don't return. Eventually you'll be considered missing, and then presumed dead. Only seven people will know the truth to your disappearance. So, please try to remember that you are a one man mission."

Picard smiled, "I'll try."

"Good luck my friend." They clasped hands, and Taylor watched his long time friend walk down the corridor. He hoped Jean-Luc would be successful. Otherwise, war was inevitable and the chances of Starfleet being successful were dim. Then he thought of Jean-Luc's chances of making it out of this ordeal alive, and they weren't any better. But he was a man who has beat the odds time and time again and if there was a chance of him doing it again, Picard would find a way.

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a/n: I will definitely try to short the time between updates :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Riker was trying his damnest to keep everything on the Enterprise running smoothly. Picard had just resigned an hour and a half ago, but it felt like two weeks had passed. Was it only two hours since he was in his quarters playing poker? Shortly after Picard had transported off the Enterprise, Riker had received four Starfleet messages. In between the messages, different department heads needed to speak with the captain about conflicting personal assignments. Riker had no time to even let the crew know that the captain had resigned. So, each time a new department head came to the ready room to talk to Picard, they were slightly shocked. Not counting, Riker needed to speak with the senior staff about the upcoming mission.

He took a breath and sighed. These were the days, when he did not envy Picard. Damn, he swore under his breath. What the hell was going on? For over seven years Picard had been his commanding officer, and he knew that Picard would never up and resign without a hell of a good reason. Besides, why wouldn't he tell anyone on his staff? They were more than just fellow officers, they were friends. The entire senior staff was a large family, especially after the incident where the captain saved humanity with "Q's" help.

"Data to Riker."

Pulled out of his reverie, Riker tapped his badge, "Riker here."

"Sir, you have a communiqué from Admiral Taylor."

"Patch it in here."

"Aye, sir." Riker tried to smile as Taylor's face filled the once black screen, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Taylor had been the last person to speak with Picard before he resigned, and he couldn't help the feeling that Taylor had forced the resignation on his commanding officer, and friend.

"Captain Riker." Riker was going to have to get use to that name. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your promotion. Good Luck and God speed."

The terminal went blank before Riker could say anything to the Admiral. And the one thing on his mind was what the hell was going on? He knew that someone had to know, and the first person that came to mind was Admiral Taylor.

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xoxo

_a/n: Sorry it's so short, but there will be another update within the week to make up for it._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Beverly Crusher was exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. She couldn't remember the last time a day had seemed so long. Besides being tired, she was starving. _That's alright,_ she thought, _Jean-Luc had said last night to come over for dinner this evening. Yes, I'll definitely take him up on that offer._ Then she remembered: he wasn't even on the ship. Her heart began to break anew. "Lights." She mumbled numbly as she began to walk toward the replicator. Her eyes caught something strange lying on the desk, and she stepped over to see what it was. A letter was lying on the desk. Who would leave a letter here?

She picked it up and noticed that it had her name was elegantly scrolled over it. Carefully she turned it over and noticed it was closed by a wax emblem. The pattern in the wax was a "P".

Her heart stopped as her mind put all the facts together. It was from Jean-Luc. It had to be.

She quickly broke the seal and opened the letter. The writing was beautiful, so precise and perfect. Her eyes never made it to the bottom because they were captured by the content within.

_Beverly, _

_ By the time you read this letter, I shall be gone. I only had enough time to write one letter, and I thought you should be the first one to hear the truth. _

_ I've been forced to resign from Starfleet officially due to 'family matters.' Unofficially, though, I'm still with Starfleet. I can't say what my mission entails due to security. It deals with a new race that is a major threat to the Federation. I'm being sent to handle the problem the best way possible._

_ Hopefully I shall return within a few weeks. If not, then I wanted to wish you the best in the future. _

_ Do not tell any one but the remainder of the senior staff the information in this letter. Because if anyone finds out about this letter, all of you are in grave danger._

_ Take care of yourselves._

_ Captain Jean-Luc Picard_

_p.s. Beverly our friendship is something that I deeply cherish. Over the last few hours I have been thinking about several things, the most important being our friendship. We have been through a lifetime of trials as friends, but what I have realized about myself these last few hours is how much I have come to depend on you and how much I care about you. _

_ I hope to see you soon._

_ Always, _

_ Jean-Luc_

The words blended together as she felt a tear slid down her cheek which was quickly followed by a second and third. Beverly desperately tried to pull herself together before she received a call from Deanna...

"Counselor Troi to Dr. Crusher."

Beverly smiled at her friends voice as she touched her comm badge. "Crusher here."

"Beverly, are you okay?"

Deanna always knew. "Yes. I was just about to call an informal meeting with the senior staff."

"Why?" Deanna's curiosity could easily be heard through the intercom.

"I'll see all of you at Will's for the poker game in an hour. Crusher out." She tapped her comm badge off before Deanna could question her further.

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Xoxo

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a/n: Nope, didn't forget about this little gem as it was one of the first fan fictions I ever wrote. That being said, I did very little polish from the original version as I'm updating it. Hope this finds people still reading and enjoying.


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